4/3/2002 -- Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Coriolis LLC, publisher of the Exam Cram certification study guides as well as other IT books, was dissolved last week by its majority owner, Haights Cross.

All but three of Coriolis' 50 employees were let go Thursday, and the company is looking to sell all Coriolis "assets and intelectual property," a spokesperson for Haights Cross told CertCities.com.

The closure is due to poor financials, the spokesperson said, and the decision was made after an extended search for a buyer failed.

As of press time, neither of the company's Web sites -- Coriolis.com or ExamCram.com -- make any mention of the shut down, although the Coriolis home page is currently promoting a "Spring Sale," in which all of its products are 75 percent off through most of April.

The closure came as a blow to many of the publisher's writers. One author, Barry Shilmover, told CertCities.com that despite having written seven books for the company, he still hasn't had any formal contact from Coriolis about the shut-down or the status of his royalty payments or copyrights. "I found out through a friend," he said. "It's very frustrating...but I'm not as bad off as some other authors."

Although Shilmover has not yet been contacted, it appears that other authors have. Through sources, CertCities.com obtained a copy of an author release that was sent to at least one Coriolis writer. In it, the company agreed to pay 20 percent of what the author is owed in exchange for release of liability, a promise not to sue and other conditions.

Shilmover told CertCities.com that there's a lot of confusion out there among Coriolis writers, tech editors and other freelancers: "What's happpened is that a lot of people are hearing a lot of different things, or are being told different things...."

In fact, Shilmover said that several authors who are owed money and/or would like the copyrights to their books so they can publish them elsewhere have come together in a loose coalition to share information and ideas. "What we really need to do is get the story straight," he said."If we can get more authors, maybe we can better figure out what's going on." Shilmover said that anyone interested in participating in the group's mailing list can e-mail him at .

For more information about Coriolis, visit www.coriolis.com or www.examcram.com. - B.N.